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Webster 1913 Edition


Relationship

Re-la′tion-ship

,
Noun.
The state of being related by kindred, affinity, or other alliance.
Mason.

Webster 1828 Edition


Relationship

RELA'TIONSHIP

,
Noun.
The state of being related by kindred, affinity or other alliance.
[This word is generally tautological and useless.]

Definition 2024


relationship

relationship

English

Noun

relationship (plural relationships)

  1. Connection or association; the condition of being related.
    • 2013 August 10, Schumpeter, Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
      Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector.
  2. Kinship; being related by blood or marriage.
  3. A romantic or sexual involvement.
    Why are they being mean to her just because she wants a relationship with him?
  4. A way in which two or more people behave and are involved with each other
    I have a good working relationship with my boss.
    • 2012 August 5, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “I Love Lisa” (season 4, episode 15; originally aired 02/11/1993)”, in (Please provide the title of the work):
      “I Love Lisa” opens with one of my favorite underappreciated running jokes from The Simpsons: the passive-aggressive, quietly contentious relationship of radio jocks Bill and Marty, whose mindless happy talk regularly gives way to charged exchanges that betray the simmering resentment and disappointment perpetually lingering just under the surface of their relationship.
  5. (music) The level or degree of affinity between keys, chords and tones.

Hyponyms

  • joking relationship

Derived terms

  • entity-relationship

Translations

See also